ACL rehabilitation.
ACL reconstruction is the surgery. Rehabilitation is where recovery actually happens. Criteria-based, phase-specific physiotherapy from the first post-operative week through to return-to-sport clearance — not just a calendar.
Presentations and goals.
Whether you're two weeks post-op or plateaued at four months, the phase determines the plan.
- 01Post-ACL reconstruction (weeks 0–12)
- 02Strength and proprioception rebuilding
- 03Return-to-running progression
- 04Sport-specific movement retraining
- 05Hop test and limb symmetry assessment
- 06Return-to-sport criteria evaluation
- 07Second ACL injury prevention
- 08Multi-sport athletes: futsal, badminton, football
The graft needs to be trained — not just healed.
Surgery replaces the torn ligament with a graft. What happens in the months after determines whether it holds.
ACL reconstruction uses a graft — typically from the patellar tendon, hamstring, or a donor — to replace the torn ligament. That graft goes through ligamentisation over the following months, gradually remodelling into functional tissue. During this window, it is at its weakest, and the knee has lost significant muscle strength, proprioception, and neuromuscular control.
Structured physiotherapy rebuilds what the injury and surgery disrupted: quadriceps and hamstring symmetry, glute function, balance and joint position sense, and the sport-specific movement patterns the knee needs to perform under load. Returning to sport without meeting objective criteria — regardless of how the knee feels — raises re-injury risk two to three times.
Felicia runs criteria-based ACL rehabilitation across four phases, from early post-operative management through progressive strength, power, and agility work, to formal return-to-sport assessment.
Frequently asked.
Straight answers. If anything else comes up, message us on WhatsApp.
Full ACL rehabilitation typically takes 9–12 months from surgery to return-to-sport clearance, though some patients are cleared earlier and others take longer. The timeline depends on criteria being met at each phase — strength symmetry, movement quality, and psychological readiness — not just time elapsed. Expecting clearance at exactly six months is a common and risky misconception.
Most patients can walk with crutches immediately after surgery, and transition off crutches within 2–4 weeks depending on swelling and quadriceps control. Full, normal walking without a limp is a goal of the early rehabilitation phase — typically achieved by weeks 4–6.
Return to sport is determined by objective criteria, not a calendar date. Six months is the minimum threshold, but clearance requires meeting limb symmetry index targets (typically 90%+ strength symmetry), passing hop tests, and demonstrating sport-specific movement quality. Athletes who return based on time alone have two to three times higher re-injury risk.
Without structured rehabilitation, the graft-reconstructed knee typically lacks the muscular protection, proprioception, and movement quality needed for safe return to sport. Re-injury rates are substantially higher in under-rehabbed patients. A second reconstruction has significantly lower success rates than the first.
What patients actually say.
Verbatim, from Google reviews.
Super nice and patient therapist! Finally helped fix my knee problem after 10 years. Will definitely keep coming back.
Book a first assessment.
60 minutes. One-to-one with Felicia. We reply on WhatsApp within a few hours — usually sooner.
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